Writes Leo Odera Omolo

The Criminal cases pending against senior Kenyan politicians and top government official at the International Criminal Court of Justice at The Hague may soon take a new legal dimension following the shocking claims by the for leader of the dreaded and outlawed Mungiki religious sect.

Members of this sect were extensively mention by the ICC Chief Prosecutor Moreno Ocampo during the confirmation hearing before the ICC judges two months ago as having played key role in planned and well executed attacks, maiming and killing of innocent people for political expediency during the post-election violence which erupted in Kenya after the dispute presidential election results in December 2007.

The violence orgies that followed post election periods of 2007 and 2008 claimed the lives of more than 1500 Kenyan citizens, destruction of property worth billion of dollars and internally displaced people estimated to be numbering about 3500 whose homes were torched and forcefully evicted from their farms.

Six top politician and senior government official have appeared before the ICC judges t The Hague for the confirmation hearing as to whether they will have cases to answer leading to a full scale trials in the same ICC court. The politicians and top official hired some of the best lawyers in Kenya, UK and US for their defense team.

Among the suspect were former Minister for Higher Education and Eldoret North MP William Ruto, the suspended Industrialization Minister Henry Kosgey who is the serving MP for Tinderet in Nandi South district, a local FM Kass Radio Station presenter Joshua Arap Sang. The trio are suspected for committed criminal offences against humanity, causing illegal eviction of people from their homes and destruction of property and mass murder.

The second bunch of the suspect include the Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta who is also the MP for Gatundu South, the Head of civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Ambassador Francis Muthaura and the former Commissioner of Police Maj-Gen Hussein Ali, who is currently serving the government as the Postmaster General.

The latest revelation by the former Mungiki leader Njenga Maina is likely going to incriminate and hurt the Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta who is also the one of the leading contender for the next year Kenya’s presidential race,Ambassador Muthaura and the former police Commissioner Hussein Ali.

Evidence were presented before the ICC Judges that the three had planned the arming and use Mungiki militias for retaliatory attacks against members of the communities considered hostile to the government leading to the killing of dozens of members ODM supporters, mainly Luos, Kalenjin, Luhyia and Kisii who were living in Naivasha and Nakuru towns in the Rift Valley Province.

The former Mungiki leader Njenga Maina told newsmen early this week that he fear his life is in danger because a senior politician linked to the ICC suspect want to kill him.

He claimed that the unnamed politician from Central Kenya believes that it was he {Njenga} who had sent a prosecution witness to the Hague with incriminating information about the retaliatory attacks against members of Kenya tribes who supported the opposition ODM party in Naivasha an Nakuru during the post-election violence.

Njenga Maina who is now a born again Christian and Preacher, said he fear for his life after strangers claiming to be officers from the dreaded anti-Mungiki police unit visited his two homes the previous week.

He told reporters in Karen Estate, a suburb of the capital city, Nairobi that a motor vehicle with the government registration number plate went to his Karen residence last Sunday with five unidentified occupants.

“The men claimed they were officers from the dreaded Kwekwe Squad and that they want to talk to me.”

Another Nissan van visited my Kitengela home and told my workers that they want Kshs 2 million to pardon me over crimes I do not know,” Njenga aid.

“Some people are asking why I had sent former Mungiki people to The Hague to testify for Ocampo. I am truly tell you the pressmen that I do not know who I at the ICC as a witness,” said Njenga

Njnga Maina believes that he unnamed politician from Central Kenya become angry with him after he {Njenga} had demanded that the senior politician honor his pledge to offset an outstanding mortuary bill for his {Njenga’s} wife Virginia Nyakio Njenga and her two bodyguards who were mysteriously murdered in 2008 according o other sources.

The politician in question had made a pledge to give Kshs 7 million and had initially made down payment of Kshs 4 million. After the politician allegedly told Njnga that he woud not pay the Kshs 3 million balance at the Umash Funeral home where the bodies of his wife and two other victims had remained uncollected for burial for well over two years.

The bodies of Virginia Nyakio Njenga, her bodyguard and her driver remained at the funeral home because the Mungiki followers had said they could not bury the three while their former Mungiki leader himself was still in prison.

Njenga Maina now felt threatened because the politician has said that he {Njenga} would not live to see the ICC suspect being locked in at The Hague because the Mungiki had implicated him in crimes against humanity.

The Mungiki informer is now hiding somewhere in Europe. H is expected to give testimony in The Hague against Deputy prime Minister an Minister for Finance Uhuru Kenyatta, Civil Service Head Ambassador Francis Muthaura and the former Police Commissioner Maj-Gen. Hussein Ali who are jointly accuse of organizing the Mungiki attacks in Naivasha and Nakuru Towns.

The politician close to the susect apparently believes that the Ocampo witness was sent to The Hague by Njenga.

Njenga told journalists suspicious cars have been trailing him since the heated exchange of words with the unnamed senior politician linked to the ICC suspects.

The story about Njenga Maina outbursts at the press conference, which he called at Karen was completely given the black out by the mainstream media houses in Kenya, but prominently mad a front page headline by the upcoming and aggressive Nairobi daily, The STAR.

Njenga disclosed that n Asistant minister had called to threaten him with dire consequences over the decision he made in supporting the former Defense Minister Mzee Njenga Karume as the sole spokesman of the Kikuyu community.

He said he had so far recorded statements at the Karen and Athi River police stations over the threat, a claim which the Police Spokesman Erik Kiraithe was quoted by he STAR as having been confirmed and that the police were actively investigating the matter.

Virginia Nyakio Njenga was buried with three others in January 2010 in Njenga’s home at Kitengela ia few kilometers in the outskirt of Nairobi City. Mrs Njnga was murdered with her driver and a bodyguard in April 2008 in Ngong’ Forest near Nairobi possibly by suspicion implicating the Kwekwe Police Unit Squad could have been secretly involved.

Former Defense Minister Njenga Karume and former MP Ferdinand Waititu were among the high ranking individuals who contributed money towards the Kshs 9 million mortuary and burial expenses for Nyakio. During the funeral Njenga Karume told the mourners that Starehe MP and an Assistant minister for Housing Bishop Margaret Wanjiru and Nairobi business tycoon Irshad Sumra had also contributed to the mortuary fee along with other donors who sent money through MPESA money transfer outlet.

Ends